A railway vehicle brake block holder is intended to act as a mounting means for a brake block or brake shoe, which transmits a braking force to a wheel of the vehicle and is replaced after having been worn out.
The brake block holder is conventionally suspended at its center as viewed from the side, preferably by means of brake block hangers, and the brake force is normally also applied to the brake block holder center, for example by means of a push rod.
In the case of brake units the pivotable brake block hangers are normally suspended from the brake unit or brackets thereon and are, as said, pivotally attached to the center of the brake block holder. Typical examples of such arrangements are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,940,553, 3,430,740 and 3,707,208. A solution to the problem at such arrangements of applying the brake force from an only axially movable push rod to the center of the brake block holder moving along an arc during a brake application is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,572,475.
The available space at a railway vehicle wheel is often very limited, and it is therefore of upmost importance to keep the external dimensions of the arrangement at a minimum. The conventional solution with brake block hangers extending upwards from the center of the brake block holder past the whole holder to a fixed part of or a bracket on the brake unit housing is not optimal in this respect, especially if the brake unit itself is compact and a special bracket extending out from the unit is required for the brake block holder suspension.